Ma Long wins 2nd Olympic gold in men’s table tennis

SMA NEWS – TOKYO

For the fourth straight Olympics, Chinese men have swept the table tennis gold and silver medals in singles.

Ma Long defended his Olympic title on Friday by beating teammate and top-ranked player Fan Zhendong 11-4, 10-12, 11-8, 11-9, 3-11, 11-7.

The match was filled with extraordinary exchanges that often mounted in intensity as the two men fired powerful, spinning smashes at each other, lunging for successful returns time and again. A winning point was often capped with a victory scream and a fist pump.

Between games, Ma would talk to himself as he drank water and wiped sweat from his face.

After winning the match, Ma made a heart shape with his arms. He and Fan then hoisted the Chinese flag together.